Invitation to Romans: Participant Book: A Short-Term DISCIPLE Bible Study

By Prof Pamela M. Eisenbaum

Exploring how people have interpreted Romans through the ages is a good lens to view the history of Christianity itself. Compare what Paul writes in Romans to what theologians like Augustine, Luther and Calvin say in trying to understand Paul in their time. At the end of this study your group will have a more informed commitment to Paul's radical vision of God's relationship to both Christians and Jews and to their relationship to each other, thanks to the "love of God in Christ Jesus."

The weekly video segments first present text read aloud against a backdrop of a wide variety of church settings followed by a conversation between a church historian and a church theologian about the text. The second weekly video is led by story teller, Michael Williams, who shares snapshot views of how Romans has been read through history.

Ideal experience for adults who are interested in the practice of prayer and worship and would like to connect prayer practice with Scripture. The study is accessible for adults with little prior Bible experience.

Participants for this Invitation to Romans do not have to have an in-depth knowledge of the Bible to enjoy and benefit from participation. Reading just two chapters of Romans a week, they will discover the life altering stories that will invite them to follow Christ as true disciples.

This eight-week study includes a participant book outlining daily reading assignments for group preparations, a leader guide suggesting discussion activities for use in the 60–90-minute weekly meeting, and a video component providing interpretation and context for the biblical texts.
Sessions:

An Orientation to Romans
The Righteousness of God and the Faith of Jesus
Abraham, Father of All
Christ, the New Adam
Sin, Law, and Grace
Divine Purpose and Human Responsibility
The Salvation of Israel and the Nations
Love and Humility Are the Making of God's Kingdom

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781426769412

Book preview

Introduction

It is difficult to overstate the importance of Romans in Christian tradition. Were it not for Romans, the early church father Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, would never have become a Christian; and without Romans 5 in particular, he might never have conceived the doctrine of original sin. Were it not for Romans 13, the great Protestant Reformer Martin Luther could not have formulated a vision in which church authority and political governance were given respectful independence. Were it not for Romans 9, John Calvin, the shaper of Reformed theology, could never have worked out so elaborate a doctrine of predestination. Were it not for Luther’s commentary Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, might never have left Aldersgate-Street with a heart strangely warmed and a vision for church renewal. Were it not for Romans as a whole, a host of Protestant Reformers might never have contributed to the doctrine of justification by faith, the cornerstone of Protestant Christianity to this day. Were it not for Romans, Christians would not know these moving, memorable words that have given comfort and hope to countless people who would otherwise suffer in despair: For . . . neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). In other words, had Romans not been preserved as part of the New Testament canon, Christianity might look very different than it does today.

Therefore, serious study of Paul’s Letter to the Romans does more than simply give us insight into the biblical text and the theology of Paul. Such study is a lens through which we can reflect on the history of Christianity. Indeed, reading Romans can teach us about some of the key components of Christian identity—components that many Christians take for granted, do not fully understand, or fail to notice. At the same time, precisely because Romans has been so influential in the development of Christian doctrine, it is difficult for Christians to read it with clear eyes. Paul’s teachings in Romans come to us mediated through the greatest theologians of the church. Many of us are likely to read Paul but hear Luther. Because so many essential Christian doctrines are grounded in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, we tend to assume that Paul himself is the author of these doctrines. As a result, it is difficult for us to engage in our own interpretive conversation with the text. But in reality, these doctrines were worked out by thoughtful Christians of ages past (like Luther) who studied Paul’s words and then interpreted those words in ways so compelling that they not only reinvigorated their own faith, they also inspired seismic reforms in the church.

Augustine, Luther, and Calvin (among others) were active—perhaps even activist—interpreters of Scripture. These great fathers of the church are excellent models for modern Christian readers who want to engage in serious Bible study. They viewed Scripture as the living Word of God, accepting that God’s Word was authoritative. For them, this meant finding a way to embody the Word of God individually and communally. In the case of Paul’s letters, especially Romans, they viewed the apostle’s teachings as subtle, sophisticated, and complex—meaning they recognized (as we often do) that sometimes Paul was hard to understand! And in most cases, the church’s theologians carried on a lifelong conversation with Paul, and whatever insights came from such conversations, they brought them to bear on the important theological issues of the day.

The challenge we face as students of Romans today is learning to engage in our own interpretive conversation with the text, in spite of the deeply entrenched tradition of interpretation that provides ready-made answers to a set of predetermined questions. For example, consider this: Augustine’s understanding of Romans became dominant because his reflections on his own experience of religious transformation (which he grounded in Romans) initiated the modern Western notion of the self. In particular, Augustine’s reflections on his inner spiritual life became a model for understanding the interior drama played out by every new convert to Christianity. That is, he simultaneously redefined what it meant to be human and what it meant to be Christian.

But Augustine’s definition marked a gigantic shift from the way ancient Jews, Greeks, Romans, and others thought about human nature in general and the religious dimension of being human in particular. Prior to Augustine, Christian commentaries on Romans were considerably more varied than they would become later. We find in Origen, a third-century theologian, an alternative tradition of interpretation markedly different from Augustine. Unfortunately, this alternative tradition was practically lost to oblivion because of what came to be the overwhelming dominance of the Augustinian tradition. One of the aims of this study of Romans is to introduce a way of reading Romans that challenges the Augustinian point of view. Significantly, this way of reading Romans finds resonance in the strain of interpretation associated not just with Origen of the third century but also with recent Pauline scholarship of the last thirty years. As we go along, be on the lookout for several points of emphasis that distinguish this alternative perspective on Romans from the traditional one.

• Romans is oriented toward communal rather than individual salvation.

• The central message of Romans is God-centered, not Christ-centered.

• Romans is written by a Jew who believes in Jesus, but a Jew nevertheless.

• Romans addresses a Gentile audience.

• Romans is primarily concerned with the relationship between Jews and Gentiles and the relationship of both to God.

• Romans is a guide for living a faithful life in an age of religious pluralism.

It may also be helpful to keep in mind that recent challenges to the prevailing Augustinian perspective on Romans have in part been inspired by post-Holocaust reflection as well as improved knowledge of ancient Judaism. Early on in the church’s history, the traditional reading of Romans both depended on and contributed to a distorted picture of Judaism. Another aim of this study is to promote a more historically accurate understanding of ancient Judaism and thereby a reconsideration of the meaning of Romans for today. Hopefully, studying Romans in this spirit will break down old stereotypes of Judaism and inspire fresh reflection on Christianity.

Origen (c. 185–c. 254)

Christian theologian from Alexandria who wrote the earliest extant commentary on Romans

Augustine (354–430)

Bishop of Hippo whose writings on sin, grace, and predestination profoundly shaped church doctrine in the West

Martin Luther (1483–1546)

monk, priest, theologian who founded the German Reformation and completed a German translation of the